Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
यदन्येषां हितं न स्यादात्मन: कर्म पौरुषम् | अपन्रपेत वा येन न तत् कुर्यात् कथंचन
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | yad anyeṣāṁ hitaṁ na syād ātmanaḥ karma pauruṣam | apannrapeta vā yena na tat kuryāt kathaṁcana ||
ທຣິຕຣາສະຕຣະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ບຸກຄົນບໍ່ຄວນກະທຳການພະຍາຍາມສ່ວນຕົວ ຫຼື ກິດການໃດໆ ທີ່ບໍ່ເປັນປະໂຫຍດແກ່ຜູ້ອື່ນ; ຫຼື ທີ່ເຮັດໃຫ້ຕົນເອງຮູ້ສຶກອາຍ ຫຼື ລັງເລຢທາງທຳ. ການນັ້ນບໍ່ຄວນເຮັດໂດຍວິທີໃດໆ ເລີຍ.
धृतराष्ट उवाच
A deed is not truly worthy if it fails to benefit others or violates one’s moral conscience; actions that cause shame or ethical hesitation should be avoided entirely.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Dhṛtarāṣṭra voices a moral principle about right conduct—framing action (karma) and personal effort (pauruṣa) as accountable to both social good (hita) and inner ethical restraint.